BCFS program shows juveniles perils of peer pressure

GIDDINGS—As seven teenage boys filed out of the van into the parking lot of the Texas Youth Commission lockup in Giddings, they saw just where following the crowd would take them if they continued down a path of crime.

Baptist Child & Family Services’ juvenile justice program is designed to ensure that a life of uniforms and cinderblock cells doesn’t become a reality for these young men.

Treyvon Barnes gained a fresh start with the help of BCFS’ juvenile justice program.

“One aspect of our program is to get these kids outside their neighborhoods, showing them not only where they will end up if they continue on their current path, but we take them to college campuses, allowing them to see the possibility of a bright future if they stay in school and out of trouble,” said Tim Nava, BCFS case manager supervisor.

The young men on the trip, all facing charges of theft, substance abuse, possession, assault or truancy, are getting their lives back on track with the help of BCFS.

Treyvon Barnes was arrested for bodily assault and possession in 2008 and sentenced to participate in BCFS’ program as part of his probation. With the agency’s help, he completed his probation in recent weeks and has completely turned his life around.

Today, Barnes plays the drums in his high school band and is on the basketball team. His future looks bright with plans for college. He speaks openly about the tough trials that come with making bad choices, encouraging his siblings and peers not to make the same mistakes he did.

“It’s really hard to climb your way out once you fall in a hole with school and the law,” said Barnes. “After visiting my cousin who ended up at TYC for gang-related activity, I knew I had to make a drastic change.”

Barnes knows that following the wrong crowd is what got him in trouble in the first place. But thanks to what he learned through the BCFS juvenile justice program, his life is headed a different direction.